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Thursday, 16 April 2015

SWAZI COURT WAITS FOR KING’S ORDER

Swaziland’s Chief Justice dismissed an attempt by
the kingdom’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to arrest a cabinet minister
because King Mswati had not given his permission.

CJ Michael Ramodibedi dismissed
an application in the High Court by the ACC for an arrest warrant and a search
warrant against Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Sibusiso Shongwe
on Monday (13 April 2015) because ‘an arrest cannot be done against His
Majesty’s sitting minister without proper clearance’.

He also ordered that no other judge in Swaziland should deal with the
matter.

In Swaziland, King Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch and he
hand-picks all government ministers.

If the court had issued an arrest warrant
it would have been seen as a criticism of the King’s ability to choose suitable
people for ministerial office.

The Chief Justice, who was also appointed by King Mswati, will only act
in the case on the instructions of the King.

The ACC
alleged that in December 2014 a total of E2 million (US$200,000) cash was
deposited into the minister’s law firm’s trust account. The ACC wrote to
Shongwe to ask where the money came from but he did not respond.

The ACC also
alleged that E1.3 million of the money had been disbursed from the account.

In a letter to the ACC, Shongwe said the money was being held on trust
for a client of his law firm.

He also alleged
in the letter that the Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini was
trying to ruin his reputation and the PM had threatened at a Cabinet meeting
that he would kill him.